Weeks 1 & 2
The children enter the room to find that a large curtain and stage lighting are in situ. They immediately begin to question its presence and begin to play. They experiment instantly. We learn that this term we are to be a world-renowned Shadow Puppet Theatre company.
A company name ‘Surprise in the Shadows’, and a logo are produced and voted upon. We remember a Ripstop theatre’s visit to the school, and a more recent performance by the Norwich Puppet Theatre last Autumn. We create lists and images of our company headquarters, and are careful to include all the various equipment we use: puppets, lighting, sound, sound effects, security, transport!
A company history is imagined. We make puppets from our previous performances, which include Harry Potter, Star Wars and The Hobbit. We write reviews of the performances, considering how different adjectives and phrases can be used for impact when you feel strongly about something!
Making and using these puppets generates many questions from the children. How can we make them more detailed? Why doesn’t my puppet look quite like I want it to? If I wear white when I’m holding my puppet, will I be seen?
One child talks about shadows being made by things that are ‘opaque’. We investigate opaque, transparent and translucent materials and whether they make ‘successful’ shadows. We learn about different light sources; natural or man-made.
https://www.orkneyology.com/ring-of-brodgar.html
Weeks 5, 6 and 7
Scripts for the production of ‘The Dancing Giants of Brodgar’ are written. We take care to make use of descriptive phrases and words to bring to life the action as much as possible and create suspense within our writing. We collaborate in proofreading and all contribute to the final product.
We also begin to produce the sound effects and music for each scene- paying careful attention to the mood we wish to convey in each scene. It is suggested and agreed that as well as the production on Orkney, that we would like also to perform locally. Watch out for advertising- Surprise in the Shadows are to perform at Bealings, too!
Inspired by the idea of giants, we develop our own Kenning poetry. Limited to just two hyphenated words per line- a kenning describes something without naming it.
With the commission well underway, we begin to plan our stay on Mainland Orkney. In order to decide upon the best place to base ourselves, we examine and investigate an Ordnance Survey Map. To do this effectively we take time to learn about which map symbols we may find, and to consolidate our understanding of the eight-point compass. Several suggestions are made.
Later on, the children are invited to enter the drama narrative by assuming the still position of one of the standing stones of the Ring of Brodgar. Once in role we observe a girl (pupil in role) enter the ring and begin to make marks on the ground with a stick.
We speak our thoughts and questions…
Why is she here? Is she writing something as part of a ritual? What ritual if so? (Theo)
What is she drawing? Is she making a picture of someone? (Arthur)
Are we sure she isn’t just digging about? Are we sure she is drawing? She could just be frustrated with something. (Sienna)
Is she in trouble? Has she run away? She is definitely upset about something! (Bertie)
Could it be that she is waiting for someone? This might be a meeting place! (Will)
Keen to know more about the presence of the girl, we use another dramatic convention. A paper likeness of the marks being made on the ground by the girl is revealed by the teacher. Pupils are quick to conjecture that the girl appears to be drawing a map- and it looks like a map of part of Orkney! Tensions are high as the teacher then assumes the role of the girl and invites the pupils to question her.
We find out the following:
Her name is Ursa and she is 8 years old. She loves her family. She lives in a village (she points to it on the map). She wants to leave. She is scared. The year is 2500 BCE.
We spend time locating 2500 BCE on a timeline and learn that this period is ‘The New Stone Age’. Keen for more context to Ursa’s story we take time to investigate. We conduct research on the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic parts of the stone age and find that Ursa lives in the Neolithic period. Links are soon made with our reading of the Orkney.com webpage whose commission we are currently completing… The ‘village’ in which Ursa lives must be none other than Skara Brae! We ‘create’ her family.
Weeks 8 & 9
One of the main questions generated is, why does she wish to leave the village if she loves her family? We wonder if she is unhappy, and why. We discuss some of the characteristics of healthy family life (in whatever form a family might take), and also at mental wellbeing. Many of us note that Ursa seems lonely and isolated. Back in role, it is decided that Ursa should to open up to her family and share the thoughts that have been troubling her and the reasons behind why she wishes to leave. Has she found out a secret? Is she scared? Has she had an argument with someone? Has she been made to feel like an outsider? Is she being manipulated in some way?
We are able to speak with Ursa (teacher in role), and hear her thoughts.
“My family are very close with our community. We work together with everybody else. We farm together, we gather food together, we share everything. It’s always been that way, and it’s always worked, but lately things have changed.
The weather is changing. It is too cold and wet to farm. It’s getting worse. It’s getting wetter and wetter. There are rumblings, there are storms… Our livestock, our oxen, our animals- they are starving. They are becoming weaker because they are going hungry. Will we be next? My parents say that this is just the way that life is. It’s the way that life has been for generations in Skara Brae. I accepted this.
But then one day, I met a boy. He was travelling with one of the traders. He told me of distant lands where you are not tied to your community. He told me that there the weather is warmer and the crops are plentiful. He told me that there- we could own our own farm.
And ever since that day I started to think and dream about the future and that maybe things could improve for my family. The weather is worsening and I keep thinking about leaving. Could we really leave a community that has lived like this for hundreds of years?”
We take time to look closer at Skara Brae in 2500 BCE, and how the community there were settled farmers, having once been nomadic hunter gathers. We examine augmented reality reconstructions of the village and look closely about what life was like in the community.
We move to the moment (via dramatic convention), that Ursa steps into the room to discuss her plans. Before she begins to speak, children assume the roles of a chosen member of her family. We take it in turns to speak of our feelings at being called together by Ursa. Some of us are nervous, apprehensive, concerned for Ursa as she has changed so much lately. Others are annoyed and frustrated that their day has been interrupted. Next, we hear from the family what life was like before Ursa changed. We hear of some of the happier times, spent playing and working together on the Community farm. Later we speak of some of the changes we started to notice in Ursa and how they made us feel. After Ursa has spoken, we speak our inward reactions to her suggestion of leaving Skara Brae.
Following this, we write powerful recounts of these moments.
Weeks 10 & 11
